Sometimes during the most unusual times in my life I, like many others, come up with some great ideas (or at least I think so). Usually when this happens I am running around looking for a piece of scrap paper, the back of an envelop, or anything that I can use to write my thoughts on before they disappear. But what happens after that? For many of us these thoughts seem to find their way to the round filing container next to our desk after some time has past. This is why I wonder what could have been, what great idea was dreamed up but never acted on. For this reason alone I want to make it my mission to create and develop a central location where all dreamers are welcome. A place to share ideas, develop them, and find those that believe in what in means to pour your heart and soul into something great. If there is anyone else with this passion I implore you to reach out. Let us work together to build a home for future entrepreneurs to come. Who’s out there? Who would love the opportunity to help in such an idea. Can we not build it?

The year of 2009 is upon us. With that being said it means it is time once again to write out some of our goals to accomplish this year. For many of us the dawn of a new year brings new beginnings and hope for better circumstances. I admit 2008 was not the best year, but alas it was not the worst. I will explain further once we get to the list. So let us get started.

1. Take a second and reflect on 2008. Then move on.

Last year we saw gas prices rise above $4.00 a gallon during the summer the back down again. It was also a time when we watched the housing market come to a standstill, our 401k plans disappeared, and many of us lost our jobs. There was not a lot to be excited about in 2008. My suggestion, get over it and move on.

2. Go somewhere you haven’t been in a while.

I have always found it amazing how things are constantly changing. One of the best examples of this is when you take a moment and go back and visit a place you knew when you grew up. Go there. See how change has impacted the area. Is the park you once played at gone? Is there a new store in place of the old gas station where you bought your penny candy (I know it doesn’t exist anymore)? Remember, as this location has changed so have you. Embrace the change you see, whether good or bad, then ask yourself what change you want to see in yourself this year.

3. Start a new hobby, or pick up an old one.

There is no way to enjoy life then to take on a hobby. Find something you enjoy and do it. Everyone needs a place to escape life and engage. Does it require dusting off the golf clubs, or is going down to the hobby store and picking up some art supplies. Does it involve joining a book club? Whatever it is just get out there a do it. When you decide what it is you enjoy do one last thing. Tell someone, invite a friend, and let us know how it is going.

4. Find a new reason to love your job again/or get a new one.

Here is one problem I see. For most of us we spend more time at our job each week then we do at home. If you do not enjoy what you are doing then it is inevitable that you will be miserable when you are not at work. Our work impacts every other aspect of our life. For this simple reason you MUST find a way to love what you are doing. If you cannot then do some self-reflection and decide what it is you want to do. I am not saying that you need to go out there a quit your job right away but start putting yourself in a position to take on a new one when the opportunity is right. Do you need more education, or work experience. That is easy to do. There are many schools that are offering night classes, or you can even volunteer to gain experience.

5. Occasionally take the stairs.

Admit it. We are lazy! For this simple reason we need to take any opportunity we can to challenge our bodies. If you see some stairs take them, if you are going lunch and can walk do it, and if find a reason to exercise don’t pass it up. Enough said.

6. Phone a Friend.

Remember a time when life was less hectic and you had time to hang out with friends? As humans social interaction is in our nature. There are so many ways today to get back in touch. Is it through using Facebook, Myspace, Classmates, or just picking up the phone? Whatever way you choose to do it make an attempt to get back in touch with those that you once considered a friend. If you actually take a moment and catch up with an old friend I bet that when you do you will thank me.

7. Unplug you life for one day and just enjoy.

Turn off your computer, blackberry, television, and radio, absolutely everything!! Take time to listen to your kids, wife, girlfriend, or whoever you have half-heartedly paid attention to from time to time last year.

8. Do that “one” thing you have been meaning to do since the turn of the century.

Is it cleaning the garage, starting a new project, or going somewhere? Make this the year that you actually do it. When you’re done you will be able to relax.

9. Step back and realize that things are not all that bad.

The media feeds off our fears that things are bad and only going to get worse. They also love to create them. Don’t buy into these fears. For many of us things are not as bad as we perceive them so get out there and make the most of where you are at in life.

If we all take a moment and write down what we want to make out of 2009 then there is a greater chance of actually getting it done. Don’t just take what I have suggested and go with it but instead come up with your own. What are you going to do with this year? Let us know.

Is your job safe? Or, are you like many others that have already faced the harsh reality that the job, your job, that you worked so hard at and poured your soul into is now gone. Are you part of the millions that are lost without an identity of who you are? For many of us when a job loss takes place its impact on us is more then we ever could have anticipated. There are many phases that accompany a loss of employment. Friendships with former coworkers are put on hold because it becomes too uncomfortable to talk about work when you don’t feel like you belong there anymore. Depression and doubts of self worth begin to creep in when you start seeking new employment and received those dreaded letters of rejection. How strong are you mentally? The level of competition that you are certainly going to face for those few jobs that are out there will be fierce. So I ask, what are you going to do, where do you start, and how do you pick up the pieces of your professional life that were shattered with one quick swing of the corporate ax? This is what I call “gut check time”.

For many of us the jobs we left are gone forever and more then likely those same companies that you worked for will never fill those positions again. So you are wondering where do we go from here. Simple, we need to create new jobs, better jobs, which will lead us into the future. What are they? I have some ideas but I would like to hear what you have to say. Take a moment to respond. In the next couple of days I will outline where I think we need to go. Until then lets here it; what do you have to say?

I have this crazy idea of change. I truly believe that we all have the power to make a positive change in our life and improve our own situation. Yes, this is being optimistic about who we are and the abilities that we possess. Furthermore, I also believe that change does not come to those that do not sacrifice for it or have a little good fortune along the way.

What really boggles my mind is why as a society we are so reluctant to change. Is it not a good thing to evolve and improve our status? Why then do we resist when we are called upon to make such a change. Do we fear the unknown? I would say so. If you were asked to leave your job where you know what is expected of you and you make decent money for something that has no certainty at all would you do it? That, my friend, is a choice only some of us can make. Can you?

Ever sit back and remember what it was like to be a kid. You know the time when you pretended to be the person who you saw yourself as when you were all grown up. Who was it? What did you do? Now ask yourself this. What happened? Today that is the question that I am wrestling with. In my time of self-reflection I have to ask this simple but complex question of what happened between the time when I was a child sure of whom I was to become and who I am today.

I have yet to discover where things began to make the turn. Sometimes I think about the small (or even large) bumps in the road of life. Did I lose focus on my dream, or was that I just became influenced in other ways. For me I wanted to be a Doctor; I just didn’t want to take all those classes and be in school that long. Funny thing is that for all the years that I did put in to finally complete my degrees I could have been.

So here I am today, far from becoming a doctor, with way to many obligations in my life to fulfill my childhood dream questioning where I go from here. Can someone who lost the way early on find that passion from his or her childhood once again? It seems to me that once the course of life’s journey has been charted that it is ever so increasingly hard to change direction. Not to say that I still want to be a Doctor of medicine anymore but there are some things that I would like to pursue as a career. The question now is how. How do I show my ability to do what I dream? Can I even get in the door or will I forever be labeled as a person with a career in sales? Can you make the change and start to chase your dream, your life’s ambition? Let’s come together and help each other in charting a new course. A life full with happiness and satisfaction.

Finally, if you enjoy what you read please make time to comment or even follow my blog. Also, if you have any suggestions let me know because together we can achieve our life’s journey!

Almost a year ago I started a new project with a couple of friends of mine. It was too simple of an idea. Our plan was to help everyday people find better jobs using the Internet. Now I can hear you saying to yourself “that already exists”. I agree this is true. There are a number of job search engines that are on the Internet with more and more are showing up every day. A real problem that hiring companies face and cannot ignore is the fact that the masses have migrated online. These same companies must then include virtual job boards in their candidate search for fear of missing “the big fish that got away”. With that being said, I still believe that there are a number of fundamental errors that need to be addressed if we are going to continue using the Internet as a method for securing talent.

Problem #1: Many candidates state that there is so much clutter on job boards today how will they ever find the “right” job?

Simple, they won’t. There is no way to currently filter through everything that is out there. The problem is that for every potential good job out there 100 of them you would never even consider. Job boards are not there to help you find a job; they are there to make money. The more job seekers they have in their pool the more an Internet recruiter can charge a company to post they opening on their site. Sure they all say they will help you find a job but really, who has honestly found their dream job on Monster? If you have let me know.

Problem #2: Can I make myself a person rather then purely a number in the eyes of a company and still use the job boards?

Not yet. What easier way is there today to find candidates for a job then to sift through a job board while putting in a couple of filters, key words, and restrictions. There is none. Let me explain through the use of an example.

You have Tim a job seeker looking for a job. He has taken the time to post his resume on a number of job boards to start the search for his new career. His qualifications are fantastic; great work history, excellent performance, etc. The problem is that he hates (for lack of a better word) what he does.

In this example, most of the companies that are looking for a candidate with their criteria that fits would miss out on Tim. Any other company would simply miss him because he does not fit their profile of a good candidate. This is all wrong in my mind. What if Tim has a passion for the great outdoors and know everything about Geo-Cache (GPS tracking), and trail hiking? This would never go on a professional resume and more then likely he would never be qualified to apply for a job applying his skills.

Now it is my hope that one day Tim will be able to get his dream job but currently using today’s job boards and removing the “person” from the job search he many never have this opportunity. I want to make a change, a charge forward to the future of how hiring is done. With your help we can make a dream become reality. Who is with me?

The world of entrepreneurship is one that fascinates me to know end. How can a person take a small individualistic idea where they mold and shape it into something with great potential. The human mind is a powerful tool. Yes, I believe that we all have the ability to dream of great things. The question is whether or not we have the ability to do anything about it. I have always said we do; I truly believe that. This blog is dedicated to such an idea.

Over the short time that I have begun to explore what it really (and I mean really) takes to become a true entrepreneur, one that is successful is so much more then an idea or a dream. There is a lot of hard work that goes into making a dream reality. It is my goal that through the use of this medium along with other things that I am working on there can one day be a place where we all can bring our dreams to share. Together working with each others dreams we can make them become a reality.

Not so long ago many of men were in the same position as we are today. They too faced tough economic times. Looking back on history there is something that stands out to me far beyond everything else. Even then our great country fostered the idea that to be great meant that we had to have great ideals. From the car, to the airplane, to the multitude of advancements that we have made using computer technology we are a country founded on such simple yet possible dreams. During our time now is ever so important that we do not lose site of what made us who we are today. With your help we will define who we will become in the future.